


Old pictures that I'll always see (The Yesterdays Remix)

by laireshi



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Identity Porn, M/M, POV Female Character, Pining, Remix, Secret Identity, Time Travel, outsider pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-21 02:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6035071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark and Steve Rogers find themselves in the future. Meeting their older selves is enlightening, to say the least.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Old pictures that I'll always see (The Yesterdays Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [navaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/gifts).
  * Inspired by [That Time Back Then](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892182) by [navaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan). 
  * In response to a prompt by [navaan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan) in the [Cap_Ironman_Remix_Madness_2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Cap_Ironman_Remix_Madness_2016) collection. 



> Thanks to [Kiyaar](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyaar) and [thyrza](http://archiveofourown.org/users/thyrza) for betaing :) And also to [Sineala](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sineala) and [teaberryblue](http://archiveofourown.org/users/teaberryblue/) for helping with my remix woes. This fic wouldn't have happened without you.
> 
> And obviously, thanks to navaan for writing the absolutely great original :)

Carol knew the Avengers weren't exactly newbies to time travel, having fought Doom and Kang one too many times, but the Steve and Tony looking at them now clearly _were_.

“Who are you?” Steve asked at once, looking at her, and then he moved his eyes to Tony, “and where's Iron Man?”

Tony took one look at them and sighed. “Iron Man is on a mission,” he said, then winked at his younger self quickly. “This is Ms. Marvel.”

“So we're in the future,” the younger Tony said, his eyes wide and excited. His Steve was silent, looking around with uncertain expression. He kept glancing back to Tony, as if worried he'd disappear.

Seeing Steve that young and lost seemed wrong. Carol hadn't known him that early, and only now did she really understand how important the Avengers must've been to him at the time.

Tony was another matter altogether, if one no less unnerving. He seemed painfully young; not naive, but . . . It was so obvious all of Tony's trials were still before him. This Tony, young and thrown into another time, seemed mostly happy, open.

Well. At least in that part where he wasn't lying about being Iron Man. Carol could understand why he'd kept his identity secret, but it had been ridiculous at the time, and it was ridiculous now.

“Don't worry,” Tony, the normal one, said. “We'll get you back in no time. It must be your first time travelling adventure, right? Let me tell you, that's much better than being thrown by Doom into King Arthur's England.”

“You met King Arthur?” the younger Tony asked, his eyes twirling with interest.

Tony smiled back. “Yeah. Still. Doctor Doom was involved. That never goes well.”

“I'm sorry Doom involved you in the Avengers matters,” the young Steve said then. Tony froze for a moment, and Carol tried not to laugh. 

“Yes,” Tony said finally. “Um, yes, it was—he was after my tech, Iron Man was out.”

The younger Tony relaxed immediately. Carol wasn't sure how anyone could've believed his secret identity even for a moment.

“Hey, Tony, do you need both of them?” she asked. “I can take Steve for a tour. You and your counterpart can science on your own, right?”

“Yeah, go ahead,” Tony said. There was a glint in his eyes, as if he was planning something.

Carol wasn't sure leaving younger Tony alone with his other self was such a good idea, but Tony had already steered both of them towards the lab.

Steve looked after them with a longing expression for a moment, before shaking himself. “What about me?” he asked. “I mean—the other me. The me that should be here.” He fumbled for words.

Carol didn't remember him getting flustered so easily. “He's here, just—” She cut herself off, surprised by the sheer relief on Steve's face.

Tony had just said time travel wasn't new for them. Steve hadn't asked about his other self at first, as if he was scared of the answer. He must've thought he had left—

And he was overjoyed that it wasn't the case. Interesting. 

“I'm sorry, this must be weird for you. You don't know me yet,” she said. “Wasp is out right now—but I think Thor is somewhere in the mansion . . .”

Who else could he know already? The Avengers had had way so many members throughout the years it was hard to remember them all, and she wasn't sure from when exactly this Steve was, either.

“Tony's still here,” he said with a bright smile. “I'm glad he stayed close to the team. I'd miss him.” His voice was full of affection. 

Carol thought it was cute, really. _Do not go there_ , she told herself firmly. She definitely shouldn't tell him that _ah, your best pal, Iron Man, I mean Tony, just found a new hobby of making out with one Captain America_.

But maybe she should've left the both of them with Tony. Steve would look less lost, at least. Of course, the Steve from her time was probably in the workshop—he took to spending _a lot_ of time there—and the younger Tony already had seemed on the verge of a heart attack at having his identity revealed.

Carol knew _nothing_ could go worse than Tony's original reveal, but it wasn't her place to force him to do anything.

***

Steve found them on their third round of Mario Kart. “Our Tonys are building a time machine,” he informed them with a sigh. He tilted his head and looked at them with some interest.

“Hi,” his younger self said. “So—they're working?”

Steve chuckled. “You can go watch,” he said. “But there's a lot of coffee involved.”

The younger Steve smiled. “He doesn't change, does he?”

“Not the parts that matter,” Steve agreed. For a moment they had identical, sickly-in-love expressions. Carol snickered. Who would've believed they only managed to get together a few months ago? From what she saw, Steve had been pining after Tony since the beginning. And Tony, well; it'd been obvious to everyone but Cap how much he loved him.

“As far as I know, you're _best friends_ forever,” Carol helpfully chimed in.

Young Steve looked terrifyingly hopeful. “Yes?” It seemed like he didn't mean to say it out loud, because he went red, but it was obvious how pleased he was at the news.

Her Steve smiled. “Yes, you can say we're . . . _friends_ ,” he answered. Carol glared at him. He pretended to ignore her.

“Okay,” Carol said, setting her controller down. “I'll go look in on them. Steve, you should know not to leave them alone. _Two Tonys_.” She rolled her eyes and smacked him in the arm. “Stop thinking about that. Play Mario Kart with your younger self. Tell us all later who won.” She winked at the younger Steve. “He's an old man now, not the same reflexes.”

“I'll get you for that, Carol,” Steve called as she was leaving.

***

She prepared coffee to bribe her way into Tony's workshop—Steve was the only one who didn't get a glare if he interrupted important work (even if it was just painting his cars—but Carol understood that; she was a pilot after all).

Tony smiled at her sight, or more probably, the coffee pot she carried. “You're my favourite,” he declared.

“Careful Steve doesn't hear that,” she shot back, amused. “Baby Tony, it's also for you,” she called to his younger self.

“It's five years, not fifteen,” he returned, but gratefully accepted the coffee. “Where's Steve?” he asked when he downed his first mug.

So his priorities were always in line. “Playing Mario Kart with himself,” Carol replied. “How're you two doing?”

“Almost done,” her Tony replied. “Hey, other me—how's your chestplate doing?”

The younger Tony paled, looking in Carol's direction. Then he must've remembered it wasn't a secret here and relaxed. “Should be fine,” he said dismissively. Then he bit at his lip for a moment, before raising his head and staring at her. “So everyone knows, here?” he asked quietly. “And I'm still—”

Tony, Carol's Tony, looked incredibly uncomfortable to hear himself speaking like that. But it wasn't as if it was a secret. It was painfully obvious why he'd never told them the truth himself.

“You're Iron Man,” Carol said. “And we like Tony. It is that simple.”

 _Steve should be here_ , she thought. But maybe not; Steve and Tony's relationship was still new; they'd loved each other for ages but never acted on it, and having them all from such different moments in their lives in one room might just be a disaster.

Or might make things way easier for their younger selves, except—“Aren't we changing history?” Carol asked, worried.

Tony shrugged. “I guess we won't know if we wake up in a new world tomorrow,” he joked. “Nah. I don't think. Time's a bit more resilient than that, otherwise Doom would've destroyed the world years ago.”

“I just keep being grateful he's still mostly interested in Reed in my timeline,” the younger Tony said.

“Enjoy it while you can,” Tony laughed. “Okay, and now go charge that plate; I _know_ I always forgot how much power was left.”

“Engineering genius Tony Stark, everyone,” Carol said.

Tony flipped her off before leading his younger self further into the workshop, where he presumably could charge himself up in private. Tony went back alone, and sighed.

“How is it?” Carol asked.

Tony bit on his lower lip, much like his younger self had moments ago. “I keep remembering everything he hasn't lived through yet,” he admitted quietly. “That's—well. I would've done so many things differently.”

“Hey.” Carol touched his arm. “You ended up in a good place. You helped others.”

Tony looked at her, and smiled after a moment. “I guess so. It's just—I was so _young_.”

“You're talking like Steve now,” she told him.

“Rude, Marvel,” Tony answered, and they both laughed. 

“The machine is ready,” he said suddenly. “I wondered—well, it is ready. And he'll be back to full power in no time. I'll call our Steves, I guess.”

Carol squinted at him. “Tony Stark, you _will not_ make out with your boyfriend in front of your younger selves.”

“Me?” he asked in his most innocent tone. “Never!”

“Uh huh.”

“You hurt me, Carol, you do.”

He was a troll. But then, so was Steve. She just shook her head and sat on one of the workbenches. 

***

Both Steves came down a few minutes after the other Tony had shown up again, buttoning up his shirt over his chestplate. _His_ Steve was the only one who didn't know. Carol wondered how he felt about that. 

“So you're ready?” Steve asked, immediately going to stand closer to Tony than was probably necessary.

They _had_ been doing that long before they started dating, though; Carol should know. 

Tony smiled at him, leaning into him slightly. They always gravitated together. “Yeah.”

“Tony, you okay?” The other Steve was looking at his Tony, clearly worried. “You look pale.”

“I'm fine, Cap,” Tony said. “Just tired.”

“You have to rest at home.” His Steve frowned. “Fixing Iron Man's armour can wait. I'm sure he'll understand.”

“Yes, Cap, contrary to popular belief, I can take care of myself,” the younger Tony snapped.

“True,” Carol's Tony said at the same time as her Steve said, “Nope.”

They glared at each other in that way that usually ended with them hurrying off to somewhere private, and Carol really hoped they'd wait with making out until they were alone.

“Other me, start the portal?” Tony asked, walking to the platform they raised in the middle of the lab.

The other Tony nodded, walked up to one of the computers and started typing. A few seconds after he finished, the platform shone with blue light.

Tony took a look at his scanners. “Okay, hit enter, it's stable.” He waited, and then took a few steps back.

“So that's it?” the other Steve asked.

Steve shrugged. “If Tony says so.”

“You'll be safe,” Tony said.

“Of course,” the other Tony said. “ _We_ built it.”

Both Steves smiled at it.

“Come on, then, stand here,” Tony said.

Carol watched as the younger Steve and Tony stood just short of the platform. Soon, they'd be back in their own time, their ridiculous secret identities and pining.

She wondered if her Tony missed these times.

“Just one last thing,” Tony said, winked at Steve—and Carol knew they were about to do something she should really, really stop.

Tony turned the other Steve around and kissed him, softly, affectionately, on the lips, just as Steve kissed the other Tony.

And then they stepped away, and pushed their younger selves through the portal.

The light disappeared. Steve and Tony were grinning at each other.

“I should've predicted that,” Carol said, leaning her face on her palm.

“You only told us not to make out,” Tony said. “And hey, maybe they'll figure out some parts before us.”

Carol shook her head at the two of them. _Ridiculous trolls_ , she thought. And yet they led the Avengers for years.

She left the lab. She wasn't sure they noticed, looking at each other as they were. 


End file.
